Humidifier



Patented Apr. 29,1952

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,594,636 HUMIDIEIER Antoine Gazda, Providence, R. I. Application April 25, 1945, Serial No. 590,263 h aforesaid operations are (a) that the air be thoroughly cleaned prior to delivery to the carburetor of the internal combustion engine, (b) that the admixture of air and moisture resulting from the humidification be as intimate and uniform as possible and in a high degree of atomization, (c) that the admixture be effected by the Claims. (Cl; 26136) suction action of the engine whereby air is sucked into the latter'during the suction stroke thereof, and (d) that the apparatus be of as simple a construction as possible consistent with absolutely reliable and efilcient operation.

A primary object of the present invention is the provision of a cleaning and humidifying constructionfor assuring aneifective realization of the above-enumerated desiderata.

To this, end," briefly stated, the present invention provides a novel relationship of parts wherein there is interposed, between the essentially conventional air filter and carburetor of an internal combustion engine, a humidifier construction consisting essentially of a hollow porous container arranged within a casing conduit extending between and interconnecting "the air filter and the carburetor. The air is sucked through the said. conduit in encompassing relationship to said-hollow porous container, which is kept full of water and which is configured so as to provide a very large external surface rela- I tive to the volume of water therein, whereby the requisite amount of moisture is sucked from the container in finely-divided form through the pores thereof. Enhanced suction action and humidification of the air and also enhanced ad- Fig. 31s a cross-section through one embodiment of humidifier construction according to the invention; v

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through a further form of porous container according to the invention.

Referring first to Fig. 3 of the drawings, the humidifier assembly may conveniently comprise a substantially tear drop-shaped hollow porous container, maintained filled with water as hereinafter described, and substantially centrally disposed within the casing conduit Hi, as shown.

The wall of the conduit ID is centrally bulged outwardly after the general manner of the adjacent wall of the porous container. However, the configuration of the outwardly bulged wall of conduit i0 is so contrived that the width of the circumferential passageway therebetween and the porous container is smaller'at the top (inlet end) than at the bottom (outlet end); i. e. dimension as is smaller than dimension 7; (Fig. 3).

The casing conduit"!!! is interposed, as shown, between the essentially conventional air filter II and conventional carburetor I2 of an internal combustion engine 13 (see Figs. 1 and 2), the filter ll being mounted on the reduced neck 14 of the conduit I0 and-the slottd' sleeve extension l5 of the latter being fitted 'to' the carburetor and clamped thereto with-"the aid of essentially conventional strapeand-bolt clamp ing means [6.

The hollow porous container, as shown in Fig. 3, may conveniently be constituted by a perforated metallic inner shell H, the two halves of which may be welded or otherwise joined together or integrated at l8, and by a porous outer shell I9 preferably of a porous or water-permeable material," such as ceramic or the like which permits seepage and evaporation of the liquid contents of the porous container or reservoir. The shell [9 mayconveniently be made in two parts, if desired, joined together by waterproof cement or other essentially conventional integrating means as at 20. Shell I1 is preferably provided with a large number of perforations so that water may pass unobstructedly therethrough;

The shell I! may conveniently be provided with upper and lower sleeve-like projections 2| and 22 which may be interiorly-threaded for engagement with the threaded ends of pipes 23 and 24, respectively. These pipes pass through the corresponding openings in the casing in which thus provides the requisite support for the pipes 23 and 24 and, in turn, for the porous container.

Pipe 23 may be connected at its other end to the cylinder head I30. of the internal combustion engine I 3, as shown in Fig. 1, orto the lower pipe connection 25 from the radiator l3b, as shown in Fig. 2. Pipe 24 may preferably be connected at its other end to upper pipe connection 26 from the radiator 13?).-

In operation, air sucked in during the suction stroke of the internal combustion engine with which the device according to the invention is associated, passes through the filter element H and is cleaned of its foreign ingredients. The

air then passes along passageway 21 defined between casing I and the porous containerwhereby humidification takes placewith the aid of the moisture seeping through to the exterior surface of the said container. The greater the suction action on the air-passing through passageway 21, the greater the velocity thereof and the greater the amount of water entrained from the surface of the said porous container.

By constructing the parts as indicated, i. e.

by-eifectually constituting the inlet end of the passageway 2! a restricted throat, a nozzle action is realized such that, during the suction stroke of the engine; not only is an increased quantity of moisture entrained by the air per unit of area'of porous-material, as compared with an unrestricted passageway, but th increased velocityclue to the jet effect also results in a better mixing of the sucked-in air and entrained water particles and also a better atomization of the resultant mixture. In addition, the pearshaped or tear-dropshaped configuration of the porous-containerprovides a relatively-very high rati'o'of surface to'volume of water, which is manifestly advantageous.

In.the-embodiment according to Fig. 5, the inner'rshellis omitted, the porous container being-constituted entirely'of porous ceramic material. Flanged sleeves 2m and 22a are. provided fOl'TCOIlIli-ZCtion to pipes 23 and '24 and for 'supporting the container." In other respects,'the arrangement coincides exactly with that above described.

- It is evident from the'foregoing' that the relationship of "parts according to th present inventionrealizes theiobjects of the invention as hereclaimed is: v 1'. A humidifiercomprisingan air'conduit having anrenlargement in :the wall thereof, a hollow porous container for a liquid locatedrwithin said enlargement and spaced from said wallso that air passing through said conduit encircles said container, a source of liquid and conduits fixed to said wall supporting said container at the upper and lower portions thereof within said enlargement, said conduits being connected in a closed circuit with said source.

2. A humidifier comprising an air conduit having an'enlargement in the wall thereof, a hollow porous container for a liquid located within said enlargement and spaced from said wall, so that air passing through said conduit encircles said container, a source of liquid, a conduit for feed- 3. a liquid from said source to, said container fixed to the wall of said air conduit and to said container near one end thereof, another conduit for withdrawing liquid from said container fixed to the wall of said air conduit and near the other end of said container, said last named conduits supporting said containerwithin said enlargement and being connected in a closed circuit with said source. 7

3. A humidifier comprising an air conduii' va hollow porous container for a liquid located within said conduit and spaced from the wall thereof so that air passing through said conduit encircles said container, a source of liquid and conduits fixed to said wall supporting said container within said air conduit, said conduits beingconnected in a closed circuit with said source.

4. A humidifier as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inlet cross-sectional area for the air passing said container is less than the outlet crosssectional area for passing said container.

5. A humidifier as set forth in claim-1 wherein said container is of teardrop design with the-enlarged portion located in the direction of the inlet end of said air conduit.

ANTOINE ,GAZDA.

REFERENCES CITED.

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number --Name Date 1,462,767 Putnam July 24, 1923 1,470,156 Evans Oct. 9, 1923 1,619,029 Morris Mar. 1,1927 1,687,090 Head Oct.9,1928 1,755,733 Hager et a1. Apr. 22, 1930 1,857,512 Matteson May 10, 1932 1,945,431 Gazda Jan. 30, .1934 2,083,436 Bothezat ..'June 8, 1937 2,108,556 Hardt Feb. 15., 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 533,501 France Dec; 14,1921 721,474 France s Mar. 3,1932 

